PagesPat's Ponderings

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

I am loving the vintage images from Queen Kat Designs this month. This image is digital and called Douglas and Emma, designed by artist Beverly Cowan.
I decided to make a triptych, which is a "set of three." Instead of coloring the images with all colors of Copics, I colored the entire boxed image in one solid color, adding a little more depth to her dress and his suit. For a little more highlight, I added diamond Stickles to her dress. I framed them with black card stock.

I used a sheet of American Crafts paper from the Take A Note stack for the background, distressing the edges with ink. After placing my images, I added a string of pearls (from a broken necklace), and a bit of lace for the top. In the bottom corner, I shaded part of a paper doily with coordinating colors and stamped the sentiment using another QKD image from the Birthday collection. I added some contrast to the patterns in the doily with black gel pen.

For a finishing touch, a threw on some sequins for extra sparkle. Looking for vintage images? The QKD Shop is the place to find them! If you need some inspiration, visit the QKD Facebook page as well. You never know what crazy contests and prizes you'll find there!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Happy Monday, crafters! Time for another challenge from Squigglefly, just in time for Valentine's Day! The theme is HEARTS-use heart paper, embellishments, shape the card into a heart-and don't forget the Squigglefly digi image!

I used a January new release from Pammie Lehto called "Country Kids Set 3." I decided to create a Z-fold card. When the card is closed, my two kids are holding hands and the boy has flowers for his girl. When the card is open, the girl is left holding the flowers. The sentiment reads: "Life is good...When you are in it."
I kept my embellishments simple, adding a bit of trim at the bottom, and a flower and sequins at the top.
My digis are colored with Copics, of course! The patterned paper is from a stack from Marcella.

Want a chance to win Squigglefly digi's? Just create with a Squigglefly image and link it at the challenge blog! Don't have one yet? Click HERE for a freebie.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Squigglefly Challenge blog offers the perfect challenge for the new year--a CAS or Clean And Simple card. I want to live a clean and simple life. I'm cleaning out cupboards and closets and drawers and (gasp) my craft room. (No one should have a whole room for crafts and it NOT be enough room!)

So I used a January release from Squigglefly for this month's theme. It's called "Basset Hound" by artist Enid Barnes. Now, my allergies keep me from owning pets other than the occasional fish, so forgive my coloring. I just don't know dogs that well (and my allergies to flowers extend to the drawing and coloring of them as well--a psychological issue, perhaps?).

I colored this cutie with my trusty Copics, then framed the image with coordinating cardstock. I kept the card CAS by using circle punches to form a border. I stamped THANK YOU once, but it was skewed, so I stamped more at other angles to "hide" my boo boo.

Inside the big circle I stamped hearts on a smaller circle. I adhered a leftover piece of pink paper on the inside of the card for contrast and my CAS card is complete. Do you need to simplify your (life) crafting? Try this week's Squigglefly challenge for your chance to win free digi's. Make sure you use a Squigglefly image to play for prizes.

Now it's time to go back to cleaning out with my new year's mantra "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle." I have two bags for Goodwill so far and a trash bag full of rubbish. Why ever did I keep this stuff? LOL

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Hello, crafters! Pat here with a beautiful card using a QKD January new release called Florophone. I found a piece of leftover patterned paper on which I placed my image. I liked the idea of the Florophone surrounded by butterflies, much like flowers growing in a garden. My background paper is so rich with designs that I kept the embellishments down to a simple line of pearls and a single paper rose.

Monday, January 20, 2014

What do you want to accomplish in this new year? I have several resolutions that I hope will shape me into a better person. One of them is to try to perform a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) each day. Another is to be a better example to my grandchildren. Children learn from what we do, not just what we say. So I will try to be on my best behavior, especially when they're around. Which leads me into my new canvas.

I created it for the Path of Positivity's January challenge, whose theme is GENEROSITY. One of our monthly sponsor's is IKE'S ART, whose image, "New Baby," I used here. I put a base of matte medium and yellow and pink tissue papers.

I printed Ike's digi image and colored it with Copics: R00,11; YR00; E31,95 and Spectrum Noir PL1. I fussy cut the image (isn't it darling?) and adhered it to my canvas with Mod Podge. The sentiment is a mix of glitter alphas and Stickles.

I played with leftover lace, sequins, flowers, buttons, stickers and ink until I got the effect you see above. Need a little positivity in the New Year? Wander down the Path of Positivity-whether you need some positive words, some creative inspiration, or a chance to win great prizes from the following sponsors:

·Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

I have been following a wonderful journaling blog by Lisa Sonora. She offers 30 Day journaling prompts, and I have been posting my thoughts on my facebook page. Since the beginning, I have been journaling through words, but one of the newest prompts caused me to switch to canvas.

The prompt that inspired this canvas is "Overcome fear, behold wonder" by Richard Bach. There is no wonder (in my mind) than that a child. As we mature, it is harder and harder to experience wonder, that first sight or touch or smell of something amazing.
In order to guide yourself to the opportunity for wonder, you must overcome fear and experience new and amazing adventures. Travel, experiment, look up at the skies, look down at the growing things, look toward what the children see. Wonder is everywhere, if only you open your eyes and your heart to it.
I started my canvas with a base of different shades of tissue papers and matte medium. After stamping some contrat onto my base, I adhered a Squigglefly colored digi image from artist Inger Harding from her Winter Wonderland collection. The words Behold Wonder are cardstock stickers from Basic Grey which I outlined in white gel pen. I embellished the canvas with lines of pearls, some trim and snowflakes.
I joined a mixed media group on Paper Digital Art called Get Your Art On. It's relatively new and the first challenge slowly eases artists into the mixed media genre. It requires a canvas, tissue paper, ModPodge or other sticky medium, a stamped (or digi) image and embellishments of your choice. I plan to experience new techniques and adventure out into the creative unknown in this group. I plan to expand my opportunities to feel wonder. I plan to create with wonder and behold wonder!
Want to join me?

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

...in a weary world." This quote comes from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie starring Gene Wilder. The scene is in Wonka's office when he denies Charlie his lifetime supply of chocolates. Although poor, Charlie has a good and generous soul, and places Wonka's secret invention, an everlasting gobstopper, on Wonka's desk instead of selling it to his competition.

This movie quote was the inspiration for my tea candle lamp that I altered with "Cupcakes Galore", a Digi Stamps 4 Joy image. I got to play with this image as a DT member for the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog, as DS4J is their sponsor this month.

Here is what the full image looks like:

I love working with digital images. You can do so much with them for whatever project you can dream up. Today I printed my image twice and just used the three full cupcakes that are front and center. Then I fussy cut them out and used them to alter a mini hurricane lamp. I adhered a thin strip of leftover patterned paper to my base, and added some adhesive-backed lace from Recollections and a bit of bright pink ribbon for borders. Next I threw on the bling, with teal jewels in between my cupcake images, and a line of adhesive-backed pearls from the Paper Studio at the top of my glass.

My daughter loves tea light candles, and she loves cupcakes, and she lights the world with her generosity. So my mini lamp has made its home in her bedroom.

This month's challenge at the Path of Positivity challenge blog is GENEROSITY. If you've a mind to share a project or post on this theme, please share with us!The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

·Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Everything is copacetic when you're using a fabulous image from Queen Kat Designs. Here, I made a mixed media wall art that is now hanging up in my craft room. I colored the QKD digi with Copics. The image is called Emma and Douglas, designed by the talented Bev Douglas.

I started with an oval piece of wood and Mod Podged some patterned papers onto it. Next layer included the colored image and sentiment. I printed it on my computer. Before I embellished with the flower and pearl flourish, I used Distress inks to age the edges of my scene.

It's a very simple project with a great presentation, and it took me less than half an hour from start to finish! I have been dabbling in mixed media canvases and wall art for the last several months and really love it. It's the "bee's knees."

Have you tried it yet? It's a lot of fun, and plenty of YouTube Tutorials out there.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Santa (and my family) was very good to me this Christmas. I got some cool crafting supplies, like the Spellbinders die with which I cut my Squigglefly digi image called "A Good Read Maddie" by artist Cheryl Grant Alger.

Isn't she cute? After I colored her with Copics and used my Epic Six to diecut her, I decided that she would make an awesome bookmark. I made a corner tuck bookmark. Here's what the bookmark looks tucked in to save my page.

And another present I received was a book. I love distopian stories like Hunger Games, and the book I received is another great series. In fact, the movie from the first book is coming out later this year. Here's the cover:

I was so excited to receive it. It is the final chapter of the Divergent series, where society is centered around factions that display specific behaviors and when children reach a certain age, they are required to choose the faction that matches their "aptitude" test, or to remain in the faction in which they were born. I've read Divergent, Insurgent and now I have Allegiant!
What did you receive for Christmas? This week's Squigglefly challenge is to make a project using or showing something you received during the holidays (and of course a Squigglefly digi image). Could be your week to win!!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Hey, crafters! I have a fun card to show you today. I stamped up a Queen Kat Designs image called Frog Queen by the lovely and talented Sandra Caldwell. I love this image and have used it often.

After coloring it with Copics, I framed it with cardstock first and then with another square piece of cardstock whose corners I punched (with my favorite punch). I popped it onto a base of stitched cardstock and embossed paper.

I embellished with an acrylic sentiment, a couple stray beads and some sequins. I like the look of the card. the scene almost looks like an alien queen from another planet selfie!! I have a friend who loves frogs so this card is going straight to her mail box via snail mail.

Do you still mail out cards or letters? I do. There's nothing more satisfying than getting mail out of the mailbox to open and read. I try to send my grandkids mail, even if it's just a card. The youngest, Bella, loves getting mail addressed to her (she's 6).

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hello, crafters! I have a pretty little card for you today. It features a stamped image by the amazing artist Terra Bidlespacher. I decided to be frugal and decorate my card's background with leftover pieces of papers that I had been working with this month. I placed them on a diagonal and then took up a black marker and had my way with the patterns in the papers.
I also added some sparkle by embellishing with tiny beads and Skittles. A long chain with a cylindrical porcelain bead lies across one of the paper strips.
The inside of the card reads: "Just Chillin'."
What do you do with your paper scraps? I keep a file drawer full of them, placed in folders by color or seasonal theme. They come in mighty handy at times, like today! LOL

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Almost forgot to post a pic of my work table today! Can't do that, it's the cleanest it's been in months! I can actually see the wood in my wooden table (gasp). When my table is clean, I can actually work at my computer there. otherwise, it's laptop balanced on my knees in the living room time.

Got a post-Christmas present made tonight and wrapped it up for my bff (Hey, Janie). I'm thinking about blogging a month's worth of adventures of my amazing alligator, Arnold. He's perched on the corner of my laptop, contemplating starting a blog of his own (or maybe he's just getting ready to play Candy Crush Saga). You'll see more of him in the coming months. Don't worry, bloggers, that's a Ty tag hanging off him. No real alligators will be harmed in the writing of those blog posts!

I got a root canal on Monday and am on some pain medication and I have this feeling that I am writing absolute nonsense, but I'm going to publish this now anyway. Happy, crafting, all!

I'm putting the last of my Christmas decorations away and came across this notebook I had made. I used the QKD stamp called Christmas Elf & Bauble by
Joanna Bromley. You can find it here on
clearance through January 31. Don’t miss
this fantastic deal!

I covered a composition book with patterned paper and then stamped the image three times, coloring each with Copics and framing them with red card stock. I used Basic Grey chipboard alphas for the sentiment.

Each year I'm going to keep Christmas lists, card designs, poetry and other writings that I created and collected. It's a form of journaling that I will only see once a year, but will hold many precious memories.

I adhered an embossed card front onto the base of my card, turning up the top right corner for a bit of a twist. Once I colored my image with Copics, I used a design scissors to cut it out and framed it with pieces of pink and blue cardstock. A few sequins and a butterfly embellish my card and I can write inside the card to send off to a generous friend who remembered me this Christmas.

One of my resolutions this new year is to participate in more challenges. You can do the same by playing in this week's Squigglefly Challenge Blog for your chance to win a free digi! Start the new year off with some inspiration and creativity!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New Year, crafters! I am starting the year with a wonderful gift. I am now a DT member for the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog,a place where you can go to see projects or posts that provide help, hope, courage, love, forgiveness, peace, motivation, encouragement, etc. It is a place to come especially on those days when the woes of the world just seem too much to bear.This is my first post as a POP team member and and I want to introduce this month's theme of Generosity with a story.

When my kids were small, I used to take them to the local grocery store and give them $5 to spend on food to be donated to a local food pantry. I warned them that I had the option to trade out their choices with something I thought would be nicer, and they would have to eat whatever they had chosen but been traded (I know, I'm sneaky that way). So they would spend twice the time I planned at the store choosing their food donations, but we all left happier for knowing that families somewhere would enjoy the goodies we gave.I (secretly) was also giving my kids a lesson in generosity. Generosity is not a quality that people are born with but that must be learned. What better teachers than parents to give children their lessons in generosity? So when you give, whether it be money, time, even a smile, do it in front of your children so they will pick up on your good habits, kind of like that saying "Do what I do, not just what I say." Or did I misquote?! LOLFor my easel card, I used a digi image called "Cupcakes Galore" from this month's POP sponsor, Digi Stamps 4 Joy. I printed the image three times, twice at one size and once at a slightly larger size. (There was something wrong with my printer and the image kept spitting out in red, so I just went with it) I colored my images with my trusty Copics, then fussy-cut the first in its entirety,and the second just the cupcakes that appeared closet to the eye, which ended up being the top cupcake, and the middle three on the next two steps. I used dimensional tape to adhere my layers. I colored just the top cupcake from my largest image to use on the bottom/inside base of my card.The patterned paper is from DCWV "The Colorful Life" Stack. I embellished with jewels from The Paper Studio.

When the card is closed, you can see the bit of lace, ribbon roses and washi tape that I used for embellishments as well.I used a quote from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. It defines generosity so well, because often people think that to be generous you have to have a lot to be able to give it away. But just think: If you gave just enough to feed one person, you've made a positive difference in that one person's life. Now what if we all made that small but significant gesture of generosity? Can you see the domino effect building from it? Wouldn't the world be a better place for your one small act?I bet you're wondering about the challenge, huh? Anything that you'd like to share of a positive and inspirational nature that follows the monthly theme, is acceptable! The challenge runs from January 6 for about a month. A top seven will be chosen by the entire Design Team (DT) and will be posted in a separate post.

The sponsors and
prizes for this challenge are:

·Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out
of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that
the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors
this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Well, I got some time off during the holidays to clean off my desk, but then last night the mixed media muse struck again and I created a canvas for a January challenge. So while my desk is definitely NOT clean and orderly, it is better than it has been in weeks!!

Besides, everyone knows that a cluttered desk is the sign of a creative crafter!! LOL